Moraea cookii (L.Bolus) Goldblatt

Plants (200-)300-600 mm high. Corms 15-30 mm diam.; tunics of coarse, black fibres. Stem branched from upper nodes, occasionally also near base, branches short, straight, but flexed below rhipidia, sheathing leaves acute, (40-)60-90 mm long. Foliage leaf solitary, basal, sheathing lower part of stem, falcate to trailing above, longer than stem, channelled, (6-)12-25 mm wide. Rhipidial spathes acute, inner elongating later to enclose capsules, (40-)50-90 mm long, outer slightly shorter to 2/3 as long. Flowers fugaceous, pale yellow (rarely pale salmon-pink), darker towards centre, tepal limb bases minutely spotted dark yellow to green, faintly scented, spreading and twisted distally, claws erect, clasping filament column; outer tepals 30-43 x 14-18 mm, claws 4-6 mm long, limbs oblong to slightly obovate; inner tepals 30-35 x 12-14 mm. Filaments 6-10 mm long, united in cylindric column smooth or papillate in lower 1/3, usually free in upper 1-2 mm; anthers 6-10 mm long, diverging, tips curving inward, yellow; pollen yellow. Ovary ± cylindric, 10-15 mm long, usually included; style branches diverging, 5-7 mm long, arching upwards distally, stigma bilobed, stigmatic laterally, crests 2-4 mm long, ± linear, arching inward. Capsules 15-22 mm long, cylindric to club-shaped. Seeds angular, light brown.